Support assembly for an appliance

ABSTRACT

A support assembly includes a support surface configured to selectively transition between a stowed position, a deployed position, and an intermediate position defined between the stowed position and the deployed position. A retention feature is operably coupled to the support surface and is configured to transition the support surface between the stowed position and the deployed position. The retention feature includes a projection about which the support surface pivots to define a pivot axis. A bracket is coupled to the support surface and is configured to distribute a load along the support assembly in the intermediate position and the deployed position.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure generally relates to an appliance, and morespecifically, to a support assembly for an appliance.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an appliance includesa cabinet and an inner liner coupled to the cabinet. A mullion iscoupled to the inner liner and defines a retaining space. A supportassembly is selectively disposed within the retaining space and includesa support surface that is operably coupled to the cabinet. The supportsurface is configured to transition between a stowed position and adeployed position. A retention feature is operably coupled to thesupport surface, and a bracket is coupled to the support surface. Thebracket is configured to brace the support surface.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a supportassembly includes a support surface configured to selectively transitionbetween a stowed position, a deployed position, and an intermediateposition defined between the stowed position and the deployed position.A retention feature is operably coupled to the support surface and isconfigured to transition the support surface between the stowed positionand the deployed position. The retention feature includes a projectionabout which the support surface pivots to define a pivot axis. A bracketis coupled to the support surface and is configured to distribute a loadalong the support assembly in the intermediate position and the deployedposition.

According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a cabinetincludes an inner liner that defines a retaining space. A supportassembly is operably coupled to the inner liner. The support assemblyincludes a support surface that is operable between a first position anda second position. A retention feature is rotatably coupled to thesupport surface and includes a projection that is operably coupled tothe support surface. A bracket is coupled to the support surface.

These and other features, advantages, and objects of the presentdisclosure will be further understood and appreciated by those skilledin the art by reference to the following specification, claims, andappended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of an appliance of the presentdisclosure with the appliance doors open and a support assembly in astowed position;

FIG. 2 is a front side perspective view of an appliance of the presentdisclosure with the appliance doors open and a support assembly in astowed position;

FIG. 3 is a side perspective view of a support assembly of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 4 is a side perspective view of a support assembly of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 5 is a partial front side perspective view of an appliance of thepresent disclosure with a support assembly in a deployed position;

FIG. 6 is a partial front side perspective view of the appliance of FIG.3 with the support assembly in a support position;

FIG. 7 is a partial front side perspective view of an appliance of thepresent disclosure with a support assembly in an intermediate position;

FIG. 8 is a partial front side perspective view of the appliance of FIG.6 with the support assembly in a deployed position;

FIG. 9 is a front side perspective view of an appliance of the presentdisclosure with a support assembly in a deployed position outwardlyextending from a lateral mullion;

FIG. 10 is a front side perspective view of the appliance of FIG. 8 withthe support assembly in an intermediate position;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged partial perspective view of a support assembly ina stowed position within a retaining space defined by an inner liner ofan appliance of the present disclosure;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged partial perspective view of the support assemblyof FIG. 11 in a deployed position;

FIG. 13 is a top perspective view of a support assembly of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 14 is an enlarged partial front perspective view of the supportassembly of FIG. 13 in a deployed position within an appliance; and

FIG. 15 is an enlarged partial front perspective view of the supportassembly of FIG. 13 in a stowed position.

The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasisinstead being placed upon illustrating the principles described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present illustrated embodiments reside primarily in combinations ofapparatus components related to a support assembly for an appliance.Accordingly, the apparatus components have been represented, whereappropriate, by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only thosespecific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments ofthe present disclosure so as not to obscure the disclosure with detailsthat will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the arthaving the benefit of the description herein. Further, like numerals inthe description and drawings represent like elements.

For purposes of description herein, the terms “upper,” “lower,” “right,”“left,” “rear,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” and derivativesthereof shall relate to the disclosure as oriented in FIG. 1. Unlessstated otherwise, the term “front” shall refer to the surface of theelement closer to an intended viewer, and the term “rear” shall refer tothe surface of the element further from the intended viewer. However, itis to be understood that the disclosure may assume various alternativeorientations, except where expressly specified to the contrary. It isalso to be understood that the specific devices and processesillustrated in the attached drawings, and described in the followingspecification are simply exemplary embodiments of the inventive conceptsdefined in the appended claims. Hence, specific dimensions and otherphysical characteristics relating to the embodiments disclosed hereinare not to be considered as limiting, unless the claims expressly stateotherwise.

The terms “including,” “comprises,” “comprising,” or any other variationthereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that aprocess, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elementsdoes not include only those elements but may include other elements notexpressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, orapparatus. An element proceeded by “comprises a . . . ” does not,without more constraints, preclude the existence of additional identicalelements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that comprisesthe element.

Referring to FIGS. 1-15, reference numeral 10 generally designates anappliance 10 that includes a cabinet 14 and an inner liner 18 coupled tothe cabinet 14. A mullion 22 is coupled to the inner liner 18 anddefines a retaining space 26. A support assembly 30 is selectivelydisposed within the retaining space 26 and includes a support surface 34operably coupled to the cabinet 14. The support surface 34 is configuredto transition between a stowed position 38 and a deployed position 42. Aretention feature 46 is operably coupled to the support surface 34. Abracket 50 is coupled to and is configured to brace the support surface34.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the appliance 10 depicted in FIG. 1 is aside-by-side refrigerator appliance 10 with first and second doors 54,58 in an open position. Additionally or alternatively, the appliance 10may be configured as a French-door style refrigerator with abottom-mounted drawer 60 (FIG. 2), such that the first and second doors54, 58 provide access into a refrigeration compartment 62 and thebottom-mounted drawer 60 provides access into a freezer compartment 66.The refrigeration compartment 62 and the freezer compartment 66 of theappliance 10 are separated by the mullion 22 to each define a storagecompartment 70 in which perishable items and other consumer items may bestored. The doors 54, 58 are configured to pivot between open and closedpositions to provide selective access to the storage compartment 70. Thestorage compartment 70 is generally defined by the inner liner 18 thatis coupled to the cabinet 14 and may contain a plurality of shelves 74upon which items may be stored. Although depicted as either theside-by-side appliance 10 or the French-door style appliance 10 with thebottom-mounted drawer 60, it is generally contemplated that the supportassembly 30 described herein is contemplated for use in any type ofappliance or general storage body.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the support assembly 30 includes the supportsurface 34 that is coupled to the bracket 50 by the retention feature46. It is generally contemplated that the support assembly 30 includes apair of first and second retention features 46 a, 46 b disposed onopposing ends of the support surface 34. Each retention feature 46 a, 46b includes a projection 78 about which the support surface 34 rotates.The rotation of the support surface 34 defines a pivot axis 86 of thesupport assembly 30. The pivot axis 86 is generally defined through theprojections 78, such that the support assembly 34 rotates about theprojections 78 and the pivot axis 86. The projections 78 extend throughrecesses 82 defined by the support surface 34 to couple the retentionfeatures 46 a, 46 b to the support surface 34.

The retention features 46 a, 46 b are so called because each isconfigured to couple the bracket 50 to the support assembly 34 and,ultimately, couple the support assembly 34 to the cabinet 14. Forexample, the retention feature 46 b illustrated in FIG. 3 is configuredto engage a side of the mullion 22 to brace the support surface 34 inthe deployed position 42. Additionally or alternatively, the retentionfeature 46 may be a hinge 94, as illustrated in FIG. 4, that operablycouples the support surface 34 to the mullion 22. The hinge 94 iscoupled to the bracket 50 and the mullion 22 so the support assembly 30may hingedly rotate relative to the cabinet 14 from the stowed position38 into the deployed position 42. In addition, the bracket 50 is alsoconfigured to brace the support surface 34 in the deployed position 42by engaging the support surface 34. For example, the bracket 50 includesflanges 90 that laterally extend from the bracket 50. In the deployedposition 42, the support surface 34 may be rotated about the pivot axis86 to rest along one of the flanges 90 of the bracket 50. Additionally,the support surface 34 defines a grasping aperture 96 to provide aportion of the support surface 34 that a user may grasp to operably movethe support surface 34.

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 3, 5, and 6, the appliance 10 is divided intothe freezer compartment 66 and the refrigeration compartment 62 by themullion 22. In one non-limiting example, the retaining space 26 isdefined within the mullion 22, such that the retaining space 26 isdisposed between the refrigeration compartment 62 and the freezercompartment 66. The retaining space 26 is a hollow cavity, such that themullion 22 is generally hollow at the location of the retaining space26. To maintain insulation between the freezer compartment 66 and therefrigeration compartment 62, it is generally contemplated that thesupport surface 34 of the support assembly 30 is formed from aninsulated panel. Specifically, it is contemplated that the supportsurface 34 is a vacuum insulated panel so the support surface 34 canprovide maximum insulation within the mullion 22 while maintaining aslim construction to fit within the retaining space 26.

The support assembly 30 is positioned within the retaining space 26 andis generally concealed within the retaining space 26 by the mullion 22and the inner liner 18 when in the stowed position 38. Accordingly, whenthe support assembly 30 is in the stowed position 38, the supportassembly 30 appears to be integrally formed with the mullion 22. Ingeneral, the stowed position 38 may be referred to as the firstposition, and the deployed position 42 may be referred to as the secondposition. To release the support assembly 30 from the retaining space26, the user can compress the support surface 34, described in moredetail below with respect to FIGS. 9 and 10. As illustrated in FIG. 1,the stowed position 38 may be defined as the support surface 34 beingvertically aligned relative to the cabinet 14 and disposed within theretaining space 26. However, as described below, it is also contemplatedthat the stowed position 38 of the support surface 34 may also behorizontally aligned relative to the cabinet 14, so long as the supportsurface 34 is disposed within the retaining space 26.

With further reference to FIGS. 1, 3, 5, and 6, the deployed position42, as illustrated in FIG. 6, is defined as the support surface 34 beinggenerally perpendicular to the mullion 22 and horizontally alignedrelative to the cabinet 14. The support surface 34 is rotatably coupledto the mullion 22 to transition between the vertically aligned stowedposition 38 and the horizontally aligned deployed position 42. Thedeployed position 42 may also be defined when the support surface 34 isgenerally free from the retaining space 26 in the mullion 22, but stillvertically aligned relative to the cabinet 14. When in thisconstruction, the support surface 34 may provide a vertical surfaceagainst which the user may work. By way of example, not limitation, theuser may form a grocery list on the vertical support surface 34 when inthe vertically aligned deployed position 42.

Once deployed from the stowed position 38, the support surface 34 maytransition into the horizontally aligned deployed position 42 aboutprojections 78 that extends from opposing retention features 46. Thesupport surface 34 defines recesses 82 in which the projections 78 ofthe retention features 46 can be coupled, such that the support surface34 may rotate about the projections 78 relative to the bracket 50 todefine a pivot axis 86 of the support assembly 30. In addition, thebracket 50 may further include a flange 90 that engages the supportsurface 34 to prevent circumferential rotation about the pivot axis 86.In addition to engaging the support surface 34, the flange 90 isconfigured to slidably engage grooves 92 defined within the retainingspace 26. The slidable engagement of the flange 90 within the grooves 92is configured to slidably transition the support assembly 30 from thestowed position 38 in the retaining space 26 into the deployed position42.

In another non-limiting example illustrated in FIGS. 4, 7, and 8, thesupport assembly 30 is pivotably coupled to the mullion 22, such thatthe retention feature 46 is the hinge 94, generally described above,that is operably coupled to the bracket 50 and the mullion 22. Stateddifferently, the support surface 34 is directly coupled to the mullion22 via the retention feature 46 as the hinge 94. The hinge 94 isconfigured to hingedly translate the support surface 34 and the bracket50 in a vertical plane and about an axis X relative to the cabinet 14.Accordingly, the retention feature 46 and the bracket 50 are bothconfigured to transition the support surface 34 from the stowed position38 (FIG. 1) to the deployed position 42. The user may apply a pullingforce to rotate the support surface 34 about the hinge 94 to remove thesupport surface 34 from the retaining space 26 and into the deployedposition 42.

As generally mentioned above, the grasping aperture 96 is defined on anedge 98 of the support surface 34, such that the user may utilize thegrasping aperture 96 to rotatably remove the support surface 34 from theretaining space 26 about the axis X. Once the support surface 34 is inthe vertically aligned deployed position 42, the support surface 34 canthen rotate about the pivot axis 86 to define a support position 100.The horizontally aligned deployed position 42 corresponds to the supportposition 100. When the support surface 34 is in the support position 100the user may utilize the support surface 34 to temporarily store variousitems stored in the appliance 10.

With further reference to FIGS. 4, 7, and 8, the support surface 34 inthe support position 100 can also be used as a work station, such thatthe user may prepare various food items on the support surface 34 to belater stored in the appliance 10. Thus, the support surface 34 isoperable as a shelf that outwardly extends from the appliance 10 in thesupport position 100 so items from either the refrigeration compartment62 and/or the freezer compartment 66 may be placed on the supportsurface 34. The support surface 34 is rotatable about the pivot axis 86to provide the shelf as an extension of either the refrigerationcompartment 62 and/or above the freezer compartment 66. In order tominimize the degree of rotation of the support surface 34, the flange 90of the bracket 50 extends beneath the support surface 34 to engage thesupport surface 34 in the deployed position 42. The flange 90 extendspast the support surface 34 so the support surface 34 may rotate aboutthe pivot axis 86 approximately 180-degrees to provide a flexiblearrangement of the support assembly 30. Accordingly, the support surface34 can be rotated about the projections 78 so as to be positioned infront of either one of the freezer compartment 66 and/or therefrigeration compartment 62.

Referring now to FIGS. 2, 9, and 10 and another non-limiting example,the mullion 22 illustrated divides the freezer compartment 66 and therefrigeration compartment 62 along the axis X, such that the mullion 22is generally lateral relative to the cabinet 14. In this configuration,the support assembly 30 is positioned within the retaining space 26defined by the lateral mullion 22. The support assembly 30 is slidablycoupled to the mullion 22 within the retaining space 26, such that thesupport surface 34 can be slidably removed from the retaining space 26.As similarly described above, the support surface 34 is in the stowedposition 38 when disposed within the retaining space 26. Thus, thesupport assembly 30 generally appears integrally formed with the mullion22 when in the stowed position 38. The support surface 34 is slidablyremovable from the retaining space 26 into the deployed position 42, andan intermediate position 102 is defined between the stowed position 38and the deployed position 42, described in further detail below.

To release the support surface 34 from the retaining space 26 within themullion 22, the user may press upon the edge 98 of the support surface34 to minimally compress the support surface 34 into the retaining space26. This compression of the support surface 34 releases a couplingfeature 106 positioned within the retaining space 26 that is operablycoupled to the retention feature 46 of the support assembly 30. Thecoupling feature 106 is coupled to the mullion 22 to retain the supportassembly 30 in the stowed position 38. It is generally contemplated thatthe coupling feature 106 engages the retention feature 46, such that thecoupling feature 106 receives and retains the retention feature 46. Oncethe retention feature 46 is received by the coupling feature 106, thecoupling feature 106 latches to the retention feature 46 to retain thesupport surface 34 in the stowed position 38.

With further reference to FIGS. 2, 9, and 10 and as generally mentionedabove, a compressive force is applied to the edge 98 of the supportsurface 34 to release the retention feature 46 from the coupling feature106. The user may receive tactile and audible feedback upon thecompression of the edge 98 that indicates that the retention feature 46is released. Stated differently, to release the support surface 34 fromthe coupling feature 106, the user presses upon the edge 98 of thesupport surface 34 and slides the support surface 34 from the retainingspace 26 to transition the support surface 34 through the intermediateposition 102 into the deployed position 42. In addition, the supportsurface 34 will slightly extend out from the retaining space 26, suchthat the user may grasp the edge 98 of the support surface 34 to fullyextend the support surface 34 into the deployed position 42.Additionally or alternatively, the user may use the grasping aperture 96to withdraw the support surface 34 from the retaining space 26 to usethe support surface 34 as a shelf.

Typically, the support surface 34 is utilized in the deployed position42 to retain items stored within the storage compartment 70 of eitherthe refrigeration compartment 62 or the freezer compartment 66, asdiscussed above. However, it is also contemplated that the supportsurface 34 may be used in the intermediate position 102, such that,although there may be a smaller available surface, the support surface34 can still hold items from the refrigeration compartment 62 or thefreezer compartment 66. In particular, the intermediate position 102 maybe advantageous when the user is rearranging items within the freezercompartment 66, as the freezer compartment 66 illustrated in FIGS. 2 and10 is more readily accessible with the support surface 34 in theintermediate position 102. For example, the bottom-mounted drawer 60extends outward from the cabinet 14 in a similar manner as the supportsurface 34, such that the support surface 34 may otherwise cover theopening of the freezer compartment 66 when in the deployed position 42.Utilizing the support surface 34 in the intermediate position 102 allowsthe user to remove items from the freezer compartment 66 and temporarilyplace the items on the support surface 34. As described, theintermediate position 102 is defined as the position when the supportsurface 34 partially extends outward from the retaining space 26 whiledefining a work surface and the support position 100 of the supportsurface 34, generally described above with respect to FIGS. 4, 7, and 8.

With further reference to FIGS. 9 and 10, guide rails 118 may be coupledto the mullion 22 and operably coupled to the support surface 34 tostabilize and transition the support surface 34 within the retainingspace 26. It is generally contemplated that rotatable features 120 maybe disposed on a first side 122 and a second side 126 of the supportsurface 34 and operably coupled to the guide rails 118 to slidablytransition the support surface 34 between the stowed position 38 (FIG.2) and the deployed position 42. In addition, the guide rails 118 engagethe rotatable features 120 of the support surface 34 to prevent thesupport surface 34 from being fully removed from the retaining space 26.

As illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10, the bracket 50 is securely coupled tothe support surface 34, such that the support surface 34 is free fromrotation about the pivot axis 86 (FIG. 5) described above. In addition,the bracket 50 is pivotally coupled to the retention feature 46 so aload L that may be placed upon the support surface 34 is distributed bythe bracket 50 rather than the retention feature 46. The bracket 50braces against the mullion 22 to minimize potential rotation of thesupport surface 34 when in the deployed position 42. Additionally, themullion 22 may include an engagement wall 134 that is configured toengage the flange 90 of the bracket 50 to further minimize rotation ofthe support surface 34 about the axis X. Stated differently, once thesupport surface 34 is in the deployed position 42, the flange 90 of thebracket 50 may brace against the engagement wall 134 of the mullion 22,such that the load L placed upon the support surface 34 may be evenlydistributed by the flange 90 across the engagement wall 134 of themullion 22. It is also contemplated that the engagement wall 134provides a façade of the mullion 22. Thus, when the support assembly 30is in the stowed position 38 (FIG. 2), the support assembly 30 appearsintegrally formed with the mullion 22 as a result of the engagement wall134 generally concealing the retaining space 26.

Referring now to FIGS. 11 and 12 and yet another non-limiting example,the retaining space 26 is defined by the inner liner 18 of the cabinet14, such that the retaining space 26 is a generally recessed portion ofthe inner liner 18. Although depicted on an upper portion 138 of theinner liner 18, it is also contemplated that the retaining space 26 maybe defined at any practical location along the inner liner 18. Thesupport surface 34 is generally flush with the inner liner 18 of thecabinet 14 when in the stowed position 38, such that support surface 34can generally appear integrally formed with the inner liner 18.Additionally or alternatively, the support surface 34 may be slightlysmaller than the retaining space 26 so a gap may be defined between theedge 98 of the support surface 34 and a top of the retaining space 26.

A similar coupling feature 106 (FIG. 9) described with respect to FIGS.9 and 10 may be integrated with the inner liner 18 within the retainingspace 26 to couple the retention feature 46 in a similar manner asdescribed above. For example, the user may press upon the supportsurface 34 to disengage the retention feature 46 from the couplingfeature 106 (FIG. 9) to release the support surface 34. The supportsurface 34 may then pivotally rotate from the stowed position 38 to thedeployed position 42 about the pivot axis 86, such that the supportsurface 34 is hingedly coupled to the inner liner 18. In the deployedposition 42, the support surface 34 provides additional storage surfacesother than the shelves 74 disposed within the storage compartment 70, asgenerally described above.

As illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12, the support surface 34 may bedeployed regardless of the position of the doors 54, 58 (FIG. 2) of theappliance 10. For example, the support surface 34 may be rotated intothe deployed position 42 for use as additional shelving and may remainin the deployed position 42 regardless of the position of the doors 54,58 (FIG. 2). Comparatively, the support assembly 30 illustrated in FIGS.3-10 are generally functional when the doors 54, 58 (FIG. 2) are in theopen position. Thus, the support assembly 30 illustrated in FIGS. 11 and12 advantageously provides additional surfaces on which items may bearranged within the appliance 10 even with the doors 54, 58 in the closeposition.

The flange 90 of the bracket 50 may minimize the rotation of the supportsurface 34 about the pivot axis 86 by engaging the inner liner 18 in thedeployed position 42 of the support surface 34. As described above, theprojections 78 (FIG. 3) are rotatably coupled to the inner liner 18 torotate the support surface 34, which may generally engage the flange 90of the bracket 50. It is generally contemplated that the projections 78(FIG. 3) may have a semicircular cross-section, such that, upon rotationof the support surface 34 into the deployed position 42, a planarportion of the projections 78 (FIG. 3) may engage the inner liner 18 tominimize further rotation of the support surface 34. However, it is alsocontemplated that the projections 78 (FIG. 3) may have any configurationtypically found in the art for the rotation of bodies about an axis.

Referring now to FIGS. 13-15 and another non-limiting example, thesupport assembly 30 is illustrated as extending from a top surface 146of the inner liner 18. As illustrated, the support assembly 30 is formedfrom a wire material, such that the support surface 34 is defined by atleast two wire cross members 150 to generally form a wire basket. It iscontemplated that the wire cross members 150 may define arcuate storageportions 154 that may be used to store items, such as bottles, cans, orother generally cylindrical items. Each item may be cradled within thearcuate storage portions 154 of the wire cross members 150 so the itemsare retained with minimal lateral rotation. In addition, the supportassembly 30 may include a first bracket 50 a and a second bracket 50 bthat define a perimeter edge 158 of the support assembly 30. Each of thefirst and second brackets 50 a, 50 b defines an opening 160 throughwhich a respective retention feature 46 may extend. As illustrated inFIG. 13, the support assembly 30 has the first retention feature 46 aand the second retention feature 46 b, each with extensions 162 thatextend through the openings 160 of the first and second brackets 50 a,50 b, respectively.

In such construction, the support surface 34 and the first and secondbrackets 50 a, 50 b may be hingedly transitioned between a raisedposition 164 and a lowered position 166 by the retention features 46 a,46 b. Generally, the raised position 164 of the support assembly 30corresponds to the stowed position 38. Similarly, the lowered position166 of the support assembly 30 generally corresponds to the deployedposition 42. For example, when the support surface 34 is in the loweredposition 166, the support surface 34 is deployed from the retainingspace 26 of the inner liner 18 and may be used to receive items withinthe appliance 10. When the support assembly 30 is in the raised position164, the support surface 34 is stowed generally planar with the topsurface 146 of the inner liner 18. As similarly mentioned above, butwith respect to the illustrated construction in FIGS. 13-15, the supportassembly 30 can remain in the lowered position 166 and the deployedposition 42 regardless of whether the doors 54, 58 (FIG. 2) are open.Accordingly, the support assembly 30 provides additional storage spacewithin the storage compartment 70 of the appliance 10.

With further reference to FIGS. 13-15, it is generally contemplated thatthe support assembly 30 is formed from a generally rigid material, suchthat when the support assembly 30 is in the raised position 164. Therigidity of the support assembly 30 helps to retain the support assembly30 within the retaining space 26 of the inner liner 18. To release thesupport assembly 30 from the retaining space 26, the user applies adownward pulling force upon the wire cross members 150 and/or the firstand second brackets 50 a, 50 b to transition the support assembly 30into the deployed position 42 and the lowered position 166. When thesupport assembly 30 is transitioned back into the raised position 164,the extensions 162 of the retention features 46 pivotally rotate withinthe openings 160 of the brackets 50 a, 50 b to raise the support surface34 toward the top surface 146 of the inner liner 18. As the supportsurface 34 is transitioned between the intermediate position 102 and thestowed position 164, the retention features 46 a, 46 b generallycollapse along the support surface 34 and the brackets 50 a, 50 b,respectively. Thus, as illustrated, the support assembly 30 may bedefined as being both a generally rigid and collapsible assembly.

It is generally advantageous to have the support assembly 30 disposedwithin the mullion 22 of the appliance 10. For example and as describedabove, the support surface 34 may be used to temporarily store itemsthat are otherwise generally stored within the storage compartment 70 ofthe appliance 10. Accordingly, if the user is rearranging the itemswithin the storage compartment 70, then the user may place the items onthe support surface 34 so as to easily rearrange and return the items tothe shelves in varying order. The support assembly 30 may also provideadditional storage spaces within the storage compartments 70 of theappliance 10, such as the wire support assembly 30 and the rotatableshelf outwardly extending from the inner liner 18.

Additionally or alternatively, the support surface 34 may be used as awork surface, such that when the support surface 34 is in the deployedposition 42 the support surface 34 is also in the support position 100.While in the support position 100, the support surface 34 may beoperable as a workstation. The support assembly 30 is additionallyadvantageous with regard to the storability of the assembly 30. Forexample, once the user has completed use of the support surface 34, theuser may easily return the support assembly 30 into the retaining space26. As discussed in detail above, once stored, the support assembly 30appears generally integrally formed with the mullion 22 and/or liner 18of the appliance 10.

The disclosure disclosed herein is further summarized in the followingparagraphs and is further characterized by combinations of any and allof the various aspects described therein.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an appliance includesa cabinet and an inner liner coupled to the cabinet. A mullion iscoupled to the inner liner and defines a retaining space. A supportassembly is selectively disposed within the retaining space and includesa support surface that is operably coupled to the cabinet. The supportsurface is configured to transition between a stowed position and adeployed position. A retention feature is operably coupled to thesupport surface, and a bracket is coupled to the support surface. Thebracket is configured to brace the support surface.

According to another aspect, a support surface is disposed within aretaining space defined by a mullion in a stowed position and isrotatably coupled to the mullion.

According to still another aspect, a support assembly is wire and ishingedly coupled to an inner liner via a retention feature.

According to yet another aspect, a bracket is pivotally coupled to aretention feature to distribute a load along a support surface.

According to another aspect, a bracket is configured to rotate a supportsurface between a stowed position and a deployed position.

According to still another aspect, a support surface is operable betweena lowered position and a raised position relative to an inner liner.

According to yet another aspect, a support surface is disposed within aretaining space in a stowed position.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a supportassembly includes a support surface configured to selectively transitionbetween a stowed position, a deployed position, and an intermediateposition defined between the stowed position and the deployed position.A retention feature is operably coupled to the support surface and isconfigured to transition the support surface between the stowed positionand the deployed position. The retention feature includes a projectionabout which the support surface pivots to define a pivot axis. A bracketis coupled to the support surface and is configured to distribute a loadalong the support assembly in the intermediate position and the deployedposition.

According to another aspect, a support surface is a wire basket, and abracket extends along the support surface to rotatably couple aretention feature to the support surface.

According to still another aspect, a retention feature collapses along asupport surface in an intermediate position and a stowed position.

According to yet another aspect, a support surface is a shelf thatdefines a grasping aperture on an edge of the support surface. The shelfis operable in an intermediate position and a deployed position.

According to another aspect, a bracket defines an opening through whichthe projection of the retention feature extends.

According to yet another aspect, a support surface is furthertransitionable to a support position about a pivot axis via a bracket.

According to still another aspect, a retention feature is a hingeoperably coupled to a support surface. The hinge is configured tohingedly translate the support surface between a stowed position and adeployed position.

According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a cabinetincludes an inner liner that defines a retaining space. A supportassembly is operably coupled to the inner liner. The support assemblyincludes a support surface that is operable between a first position anda second position. A retention feature is rotatbly coupled to thesupport surface and includes a projection that is operably coupled tothe support surface. A bracket is coupled to the support surface.

According to another aspect, a support assembly is disposed within aretaining space of an inner liner. The support assembly is hingedlycoupled to the inner liner to define a pivot axis about which a supportsurface is translated between a first position and a second position.

According to still another aspect, a support surface rotates about aprojection of a retention feature and a pivot axis.

According to yet another aspect, a first position is a stowed positionand a second position is a deployed position of a support surface. Thesupport surface slidably transitions between the stowed position and thedeployed position.

According to another aspect, retention features are rotatable between araised position and a lowered position relative to an inner liner and asupport surface.

According to still another aspect, a first position is a stowed positionvertically aligned relative to a cabinet and a second position is adeployed position horizontally aligned relative to the cabinet.

It will be understood by one having ordinary skill in the art thatconstruction of the described disclosure and other components is notlimited to any specific material. Other exemplary embodiments of thedisclosure disclosed herein may be formed from a wide variety ofmaterials, unless described otherwise herein.

For purposes of this disclosure, the term “coupled” (in all of itsforms, couple, coupling, coupled, etc.) generally means the joining oftwo components (electrical or mechanical) directly or indirectly to oneanother. Such joining may be stationary in nature or movable in nature.Such joining may be achieved with the two components (electrical ormechanical) and any additional intermediate members being integrallyformed as a single unitary body with one another or with the twocomponents. Such joining may be permanent in nature or may be removableor releasable in nature unless otherwise stated.

It is also important to note that the construction and arrangement ofthe elements of the disclosure as shown in the exemplary embodiments isillustrative only. Although only a few embodiments of the presentinnovations have been described in detail in this disclosure, thoseskilled in the art who review this disclosure will readily appreciatethat many modifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes,dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements,values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors,orientations, etc.) without materially departing from the novelteachings and advantages of the subject matter recited. For example,elements shown as integrally formed may be constructed of multiple partsor elements shown as multiple parts may be integrally formed, theoperation of the interfaces may be reversed or otherwise varied, thelength or width of the structures and/or members or connector or otherelements of the system may be varied, the nature or number of adjustmentpositions provided between the elements may be varied. It should benoted that the elements and/or assemblies of the system may beconstructed from any of a wide variety of materials that providesufficient strength or durability, in any of a wide variety of colors,textures, and combinations. Accordingly, all such modifications areintended to be included within the scope of the present innovations.Other substitutions, modifications, changes, and omissions may be madein the design, operating conditions, and arrangement of the desired andother exemplary embodiments without departing from the spirit of thepresent innovations.

It will be understood that any described processes or steps withindescribed processes may be combined with other disclosed processes orsteps to form structures within the scope of the present disclosure. Theexemplary structures and processes disclosed herein are for illustrativepurposes and are not to be construed as limiting.

1. An appliance, comprising: a cabinet; an inner liner coupled to thecabinet; a mullion coupled to the inner liner and defining a retainingspace; and a support assembly selectively disposed within the retainingspace, the support assembly comprising: a support surface operablycoupled to the cabinet, the support surface configured to transitionbetween a stowed position and a deployed position; a retention featureoperably coupled to the support surface; and a bracket coupled to anddisposed along a length of the support surface, the bracket includingflanges selectively coupled to the mullion and configured to at leastpartially brace the support surface in the deployed position.
 2. Theappliance of claim 1, wherein the support surface is disposed within theretaining space defined by the mullion in the stowed position androtatably coupled to the mullion.
 3. The appliance of claim 1, whereinthe support assembly is wire and is hingedly coupled to the inner linervia the retention feature.
 4. The appliance of claim 1, wherein thebracket is pivotally coupled to the retention feature and configured todistribute a load along the support surface, and wherein the supportsurface is disposed on and operably coupled to at least one of theflanges of the bracket in the deployed position.
 5. The appliance ofclaim 4, wherein the bracket is configured to rotate the support surfacebetween the stowed position to the deployed position.
 6. The applianceof claim 1, wherein the support surface is operable between a loweredposition and a raised position relative to the inner liner.
 7. Theappliance of claim 1, wherein the support surface is disposed within theretaining space in the stowed position.
 8. A support assembly for acabinet, comprising: a support surface configured to selectivelytransition between a stowed position, a deployed position, and anintermediate position defined between the stowed position and thedeployed position; a bracket coupled to and disposed along a length ofthe support surface and configured to distribute a load along thesupport surface in the intermediate position and the deployed position;and a retention feature operably coupled to the bracket and the supportsurface and configured to hingedly couple the support surface to amullion of said cabinet, the retention feature including a projectionpivotably coupled to an end of the support surface to define a pivotaxis.
 9. (canceled)
 10. (canceled)
 11. The support assembly of claim 8,wherein the support surface is a shelf defining a grasping aperture onan edge of the support surface.
 12. (canceled)
 13. The support assemblyof claim 8, wherein the support surface is further transitionable to asupport position about the pivot axis via the bracket.
 14. The supportassembly of claim 8, wherein the retention feature is a hinge operablycoupled to the support surface, the hinge configured to hingedlytranslate the support surface between the stowed position and thedeployed position.
 15. A cabinet, comprising: an inner liner defining aretaining space; and a support assembly operably coupled to the innerliner, the support assembly including: a support surface operablebetween a first position and a second position, the support surfacecomprising an insulated panel; a retention feature rotatably coupled tothe support surface, the retention feature including a projectionoperably coupled to the support surface; and a bracket coupled to thesupport surface and including flanges selectively coupled to the innerliner and configured to brace the support surface in the second positionof the support surface.
 16. The cabinet of claim 15, wherein the supportassembly is disposed within the retaining space of the inner liner andhingedly coupled to the inner liner to define a pivot axis about whichthe support surface is translated.
 17. The cabinet of claim 16, whereinthe support surface rotates about the projection of the retentionfeature and the pivot axis.
 18. The cabinet of claim 15, wherein thefirst position is a stowed position and the second position is adeployed position of the support surface, and wherein the supportsurface slidably transitions between the stowed position and thedeployed position.
 19. The cabinet of claim 15, wherein the retentionfeatures are rotatable between a raised position and a lowered positionrelative to the inner liner and the support surface.
 20. The cabinet ofclaim 15, wherein the first position is a stowed position verticallyaligned relative to the cabinet and the second position is a deployedposition horizontally aligned relative to the cabinet.
 21. The applianceof claim 1, wherein the retaining space defines grooves in which theflanges of the bracket are selectively disposed in the stowed position.22. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the retaining space includes guiderails and the support surface includes rotatable features, and whereinthe rotatable features are operably coupled to the guide rails andconfigured to translate the support surface between the stowed positionand the deployed position.
 23. The support assembly of claim 8, whereinthe bracket includes flanges extending along a length of the supportsurface and configured to brace the support surface in the deployedposition.